11 ideas for hybrid events

A live event is not always the same as a live stream and it does not necessarily have to take place only on the internet. An event is often held on-site and also broadcast on the internet. This increases the reach of the event, involves people who cannot be there for various reasons, and prolongs the impact of the event, as the recording can be accessed on the internet afterwards. We have compiled a list of ten different ideas for hybrid live streams.

Hybrid live stream events: on-site and digital at the same time

A hybrid event detaches the event and its content from a physical location and allows for many digital configurations of the event. The professional hybrid live stream includes events that either focus on the location-based part of the event, but also leave an internet option open for viewers, or events whose main components are to be arranged on the internet, but also take place on location. 

Consider that hybrid live streaming also means that important key figures of an event do not necessarily have to be on-site. The event can take place on a physical stage and with the help of video and sound broadcasting, people who are not physically present can participate. They can be ‘present’ for participating people by using a screen or overlays in the stream.

11 hybrid event ideas

Here is our colourful list of ideas for hybrid events.

1. Hybrid panels

You can plan a panel as a hybrid event if the panel takes place ‘normally’ on-site and is transmitted to the internet on the side. The online audience can be integrated as an essential part of the conversation. For example, viewers could be brought directly on stage via video and talk to the guests present. The options here are manifold and can be easily implemented with the help of the professional live streaming agency EVERYWOW. 

2. Stream award ceremonies

An award ceremony is a very prestigious event of enormous importance for upcoming laureates. We are used to major events, such as the Academy Awards or Nobel Prize ceremonies, being broadcast on all channels of both traditional and new media. But it does not have to stop at these mega-events. Local championships or internal company honours can also be made available on the internet. Of course, with hybrid events, the people to be honoured do not even have to be on-site. They can sit at home and receive their medals. 

3. Diploma awards

University courses and lectures now take place regularly on the internet. Why not make diploma ceremonies more inclusive and available to a wider audience? Family and friends could be present as a result, and the alumni do not necessarily have to be on-site to receive their certificates or diplomas. 

4. Conferences: analogue and digital

In professional politics and large companies, it has long been the norm to hold conferences in a hybrid way. In one part of the conference, participants sit together at a table and the other part is connected via a television. If there is a room where the majority of people are seated, then this room is also filmed, with sound and images transmitted to the remaining participants. 

5. General assemblies

General assemblies of associations, NGOs, companies, parties, or trade unions are often organisational masterpieces. A common challenge faced by organisers is achieving the highest possible turnout. Postal voting is a popular method. However, in most cases, voters cannot attend the event and have to rely on other information channels. Broadcasting general meetings with a live stream means people can participate from anywhere and take part in the voting in real-time.

6. Press conferences

The live broadcast of press conferences poses unusual challenges for the organisers. Particular care must be taken with sound technology. Of course, a press conference is all about spoken word, which is why it is important to pay particular attention to the sound quality during the broadcast. If the sound is not right, it can ruin the entire broadcast. On-site challenges can vary depending on who is organising the press conference, which other providers or networks are broadcasting it, and how many journalists are present.      

7. Information events

Sports clubs, NGOs, parents’ councils or company boards, there are many alliances and bodies that want to inform the people affected by decisions or discourses. For this, EVERYWOW’s hybrid live stream offers the solution: instead of relying on a high attendance at an event, we can additionally stream the event on the internet and make it available on-demand afterwards. This way, the information is not lost and can have a long-term effect. The same method can be used by companies to publicise new developments, and NGOs to promote new projects and to recruit donors.

8. Art: streaming of exhibitions, vernissage, book launch and reading

Art must not be exclusive. With a live stream of your artistic event, you can let people all over the world experience the same pleasure that people experience on-site. For plastic art, for example, EVERYWOW provides you with methods for viewers to experience art in the digital space in the same way as those present. Depending on the event, there are different aspects to consider, organise and think about. Of course, a broadcast of a reading or book presentation does not place the same demands on the organisers as an exhibition or vernissage. 

To engage the digital audience in the exhibition, you could choose which artworks to show with a static camera and which with a mobile, interactive camera. You can also use interactive tour guides or recorded clips, a virtual tour of the exhibition or a format that shows the artists or curators at work before the event. 

9. Music: concerts, club evenings, dance events

No question, live music is the best way to listen to music. Who doesn’t know the feeling of seeing their favourite band live for the first time? It’s a thrilling memory for life. Of course, a live stream cannot replace this feeling, but a broadcast from the club or concert can multiply this feeling and bring it to places where it would otherwise never arrive. 

10. Weddings

Live stream weddings, perhaps the most surprising item on this list. Why would people want to broadcast their wedding on the internet? It is rarely about a completely public broadcast and is more aimed at friends who cannot be present with the couple. Maybe because they live on the other side of an ocean. Switzerland has become a popular destination for Americans to wed. To avoid having to fly in all their relatives for the wedding, it’s broadcast live on the internet. Not so surprising, really.

11. Live streaming funerals

Even at funerals, not everyone who wants to attend can do so physically. Through live streaming, distant acquaintances and relatives can be present live at the ceremony and remember the deceased.

Many more live streaming ideas and more in our blog

The possibilities go far beyond the obvious live streams of the gaming or vlog community. Broadcasting events to the world wide web is also the order of the day. Whether your event is “only” of interest to the local community or you want to reach viewers around the world, a professional live stream with EVERYWOW is always a good idea.